More science fiction from 1951, although [The Warriors of day] was published in book form in 1953 it started out as [Sword of Xota] in the Science-Adventure Books pulp magazine 1951 summer edition. By 1951 Blish was well and truly launched on his career as a science fiction writer, and early stories that would eventually be included in his [Cities in Flight] series were beginning to appear.

The Warriors of Day is novella length and we meet Tipton Bond an intelligent superfit man pitting his strength against a Kodiak bear somewhere in Alaska, the scenario changes around him and Bond finds himself in a landscape he does not recognise. Birds, animals and plants are hostile and he seeks sanctuary in a curious building shaped like a fallen man. He undergoes some form of mind warp before finding his way out again and heads for a city that he has seen in the distance. A beggar women throws herself in front of him calling out to him that he is the Sword of Xota. In its 125 pages the book moves effortlessly through is gears from being an Edgar Rice Burroughs jungle adventure to a full throated space opera.

From its atmospheric beginning until its interplanetary ending the adventures keep the story moving along. Blish was good at writing stories with ideas that had some sort of incredible science base and could convince his reader of their possibility. This novella has a bit of everything, that a young adult (probably male) might enjoy, a powerful but intelligent hero, a fantastical setting, scantily clad sexy women and a story line that delivers on that sense of wonder the stirs the better science fiction books. The story moves too fast to be bothered by character development and is typical of such stories in the pulp magazines of its time, but it is well written and is an entertaining read 3 stars. ( )

Blish is a mixed bag. I like some of his books but many I do not. This one is OK but I believe it was written as a Greek Gods novel and then he did word replacements. The word god became alien and flying kraken became spaceship. Our hero was (half god) a human from another planet. I was almost sure he would die from a laser pistol shoot to his heel. ( )

The Warriors of Day have captured a neutron star and are pushing it on a collision course with Sol. Things don't look so good....can Tipton Bond save the day? ( )

I have to say this was disappointing. Not particularly bad, mind you but ok. Not particularly riveting for a book by a favorite author. A basic savior of alien race created by a demigod to save said alien race from interstellar destruction story. Sadly, not much else to say. I give it three stars only because Blish has a knack for holding my interest and playing with good ideas. Not very gripping SF though. ( )